Panther Demon
by Flinx
Summary: T'Challa allies himself with Ra's Al Ghul. But to what end and why?


Prologue:

A coast guard's foghorn blared within the billowing mist late into the chilled Gotham night. A siren's scream bounced and echoed up the cavernous gothic walls of the industrialized city, alerting those still awake, that there were less than civil creatures that stalked the streets even this late hour. Being a native of the city both before, during, and after the catastrophic cataclysm dubbed _No Man's Land_, David Silver was no stranger to what lurked in the alleyways and side streets at night. Yet, undaunted, David continued to warily make his way south towards his apartment on O'Neil Dr. As he passed Bromer and 7th, the scrape of feet on stone caught his ears, and with a slight incline of his head David saw them.

There were four of them, the tallest standing well above six foot three, and the shortest being somewhere around five foot three, the other two were of average height. All four were brandishing weapons of intimidating patronage, an assortment of pipes and chains, all of them held the same dour expression that did nothing to hide their intentions.

"You seem like a well to do fellow, care to loan us a few bucks?" the high, foul voice of the gang leaders asked with a yellow toothed grin. He was the tallest of them, his jet-black, greased hair gleaming in the pale light. He was dressed in casual khaki pullover pants, and a long worn-out leather coat over a pinstriped Levi's T-shirt. Bluffing David smirked. It failed to deter his attackers. The leader glared and the four surrounded David weapons gleaming in the light.

"I need what little I have, you do not, please leave me alone." David replied calmly, his heart racing with barely constrained panic as he searched the neighboring alleys and streets for any sign of help; he was dismayed to find none. Taking a step back, David stopped as he bumped into the short gang member. Startled David began to turn, and met a pipe to the cheek for his troubles, the blow sending him crashing into the litter filled asphalt sidewalk.

"Time to teach you what it means to show disrespect to the me and my boys, let's give him a something to remember us buy, what do ya say guys?" The leader leered at David as his companions grumbled their responses. Sneering, the leader hotly stepped towards David swinging a thick chain in one hand. Grinning he raised the chain, preparing to strike. David's eyes bulged wide with fear, as he inhaled preparatory to screaming.

"Enough." A menacing baritone voice demanded from within the folds of the night sky. Startled the leader hesitated in mid swing, and a shadow darker than the darkness itself plummeted onto the concrete between him and David. The gang members recoiled in shocked fright as the shadow took form; that of the even more terrifying figure the Batman.

"Well, well look here boys seems like we've picked up a bit of a bat problem." The leader sauntered as he came face to face with Batman; his breath reeked of overripe onions. The gang members grumbled in response. Batman remained patient and still as a statue, the leader's smirk turned into a foul snarl as he pivoted he brought the chain whistling around towards Batman's neck.

Batman tilted his head as he lazily dodged the clumsily hefted weapon, before driving two stiffened fingers straight from his hip to the thug's solar plexus. The blow caused the leader to gag in pain, sending him sprawling down the sidewalk, where he eventually lay curled in a fetal position, his hands covering his ruptured stomach. With a cry the remaining gang members launched themselves at the Batman, with blood in their eyes, their weapons gleaming.

David watched in awe as Batman effortlessly evaded or countered each and every one of the gang's futile attempts to injure him. _It's like trying to hit an illusion_. David thought as Batman ducked beneath the vicious swipe of a pipe wrench, and sweeping his leg out tripped and disarmed the last standing gang member, binding them before turning to face their intended victim. David blinked as he gazed in wonder at the cloaked horned figure that resembled more demon than man, and awe struck, mumbled a weak thank you, as Batman melted into the alleyways shadows and disappeared. Dazed and shaken David groggily began to make his way back home charting this night as one of the few he knew he'd never forget.

Batman stood above the Gotham high-rise skyscraper, observing David make his way deliriously south. Turning, Batman caught the faintest hint of movement from his peripheral vision and caught sight of a previously unobserved figure atop the Wayne Enterprises Science Facility across the street.

The figure was hidden in the overcast shadows of a ventilation fan; there was just enough light for Batman to make out the black garb with which the figure was adorned. Moving with a serpentine-like grace the figure blithely moved from shadow to shadow as it made its way towards the skylight.

As the fog lifted slightly, Batman activated the micro binoculars embedded in his cowl lenses and caught a better description of the figure. The figure was very much that of a woman. She was six feet tall with a slim and athletic build. Her eyes cold as steel, and her movements' light and sure footed. Catching a brief glimpse of her face Batman copied the image from the binocular fiber-optic camera and sent the image to Oracle for processing and identification.

Batman studied the woman as she reached the skylight. He placed her walking with a slight dancing rhythm to the Capoeira dancing style of the martial arts among others. Once she reached the skylight, she used a highly concentrated hydrofluoric acid to dissolve the sealed seam of the skylight frame, and negate the motion sensor alarms, before opening the skylight, and slipping inside the complex. Batman had seen enough, removing a grapnel from his belt, Batman fired it at the adjacent building to apprehend the thief.

As Batman landed he rolled and came up near the damaged skylight. Batman paused as he observed the broken skylight. With his micro-binoculars Batman zoomed in and studied the molten residue of the skylight latch frame. Before carefully removing a portion for further study.

Dropping soundlessly onto the cool marble floor of the WayneTech Biological Research and Development Labs, Batman studied the scene with trained eyes. The thief had used a small electromagnetic pulse generator to disable the pressure sensitive alarms pads buried beneath the floor. As well as wipe out the locking mechanism on the level-4 security door that secured the most profitable and dangerous chemical agents Wayne Enterprises had developed or synthesized within the past year.

_This is no ordinary robbery. This thief came with a plan, an objective, and the resources to accomplish this highly sophisticated and illegal theft. The question is what are they after, and what is their reason?_ Batman moved silently through the deserted hallways and testing chambers as he searched for any sign of the intruder. Batman paused as he approached the final door of the biological research wing; a wing only Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox were to have access to. The wing contained a single vial of Ra's Al Ghul's Lazarus formula, the formula that is found in the bubbling pits that the Demon's Head had used for millennia to prolong his life and cheat death.

The substance that fills each pit is a chemical blend of unknown composition, seemingly originating from somewhere within the Earth's crust. For an unknown reason, it bubbles to the surface only at certain essential points around the globe, typically at the junction of ley lines. The chemicals can rejuvenate the sick, the dying, and even the deceased, but it will typically kill a healthy user. It currently is WayneTechs top primary investment in the field of medicine and biochemical engineering.

A faint beep sounded within Batman's cowled ear.

"I've got an I.D. on our late-night shopper Batman, her name's Tilda Johnson she often goes by the name Nightshade. She was well-respected biochemist at Stark Enterprises until becoming bored with the dullness of her job and turned to a life of crime. She actually has had a record with the law since she was thirteen. She's apparently trained in various martial arts and often has a variety of chemical weapons at her disposal, whatever you do be careful she's not one to underestimate." The synthesized voice of Oracle announced over their established com-link.

"I'll be careful." Batman replied as he closed the connection while he crept along the far shadows searching for anything out of place his eyes primed for even the slightest motion. _Something does not feel right_. A slight footfall and a cool rush air alerted Batman of the immediate danger, ducking low into a half-crouch Batman narrowly avoided a high-kick that sliced expertly through the sterile air.

"My shugah you sure are a quick one. How do you do Mr. Batman? The musically high voice asked casually as Batman rolled forward before spinning and coming up in a defensive crouch, legs apart, knees slightly bent, his arms out and forward.

The girl facing him was perversely attractive.

(Author's Note: I'm still trying took work out what I want in this story from here. I have another version which I changed where Batman encounters T'Challa instead of Midnight. For those that say Midnight doesn't hav an accent like Rogue, read Priest's run of Pather later issue 35-50. Please let me know which version I should work on and why thanks!)


End file.
